A Beefier Cake

BY Advocate.com Editors

April 09 2011 4:00 AM ET

Pinups magazine has been around for a few years, but these days any magazine that can make it past the tender first two years is worth noting. The format is decidedly simple, like a haiku or a good one-night stand. The latest issue, number 14, featuring Jos, is being celebrated with a launch party Saturday, May 7, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Peep Show Gallery in Los Angeles. Check out the site for more details.

So, first of all, thank you for making those of us wearing pants with a scoche more room feel sexy. Tell us about Pinups.Pinups is an ongoing project that began in 2007. It takes the form of a magazine, but it’s not like other magazines. Pinups features photography only — there is no textual content. Each issue consists of a single pictorial (usually only one model in one location). The binding can be taken apart, and the pages can be tiled to reveal a 32-by-70-inch image — it’s basically a blown-up version of the centerfold concept. The subjects are nude men presented naturally.

Who were your inspirations growing up — both intellectually and, uh, more hormonally?Growing up I was always very inspired by artists that worked in print, primarily Peter Saville, who is famous for the work he did for Factory Records — all the Joy Division and New Order album covers. I’m also very fond of the dirty queer publications that came before me — Tom of Finland’s publication, Kake; the old Straight to Hell publications from New York City; Physique Pictorial; and not as dirty, but best of all, my favorite publication, After Dark. Hormonally, I go for Oliver Reed movies, regardless of how good or bad the films are. One of my most prized possessions is an issue of After Dark featuring Oliver Reed on the cover.

We loved your Seth issue. Who might you want to set your sights on in the future?Thank you. The Seth book was a one-off side project that I did between Pinups issues. It shares a lot of ideas that circulate around the magazine, but it is too different to be part of the magazine, so I took a brief break from Pinups to produce the drawings and put out the 'zine-like book. It was an exercise in fan fiction with drawings that set out to capture the likeness of a certain famous Seth. Since I started Pinups I have done several one-off projects. There was another project called Copy Machine, which was a small book that featured a pictorial of a man sitting on a copy machine. The book unfolded to reveal an 11-by-17-inch image of the result of his performance. I’m not quite sure what the next project will be, but new ideas usually extend from previous projects, so we’ll see what happens next.

Are you planning on taking over the media world? What are your next steps?No way. In fact, I think I’m taking steps backward, away from the media world. When I think about the media world, I think about marketing communication, commerce, and the newest forms of technology: phone apps, eBooks, bar-code advertisements. Pinups is proudly holding on to the print form. The way I edit the magazine doesn’t involve marketing strategies. All my decisions are aesthetic and take into account the physical limitations of the printed form. I’m really very indulgent in my own aesthetic regardless of how it interacts with trends. It goes against the grain in a lot of ways, and I think that’s what makes it so exciting.